JOURNAL ARTICLE

What good can I do here? A reflection on ethical stress as a specialist psychological practitioner and mental health social worker.

  • Published In: Clinical Psychology Forum, 2025, n. 392. P. 65 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Smith, Ashley 3 of 3

Abstract

This article examines ethical stress as a common experience in both mental health social work and forensic psychology, focusing on the challenges of upholding values-based, systemic understandings of vulnerability within the criminal justice system. Using a composite case, it explores the tension between care and control in court-ordered mental health treatment, particularly through Mental Health Treatment Requirements (MHTRs), a type of Community Sentence Treatment Requirement (CSTR) that provides psychological intervention as an alternative to custody. The article highlights how forensic psychology can support rehabilitation by navigating power dynamics and fostering therapeutic relationships despite systemic limitations. It emphasizes the ongoing ethical tensions practitioners face while working to address social injustice and complex needs within imperfect legal frameworks.

Additional Information

  • Source:Clinical Psychology Forum. 2025/09, Issue 392, p65
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Social Work
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:1747-5732
  • DOI:10.53841/bpscpf.2025.1.392.65
  • Accession Number:189394939
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